0690 – The Narrator’s Various Points of Views

2022.11.21 – 0690 – The Narrator’s Various Points of Views

Narration -

First understand who you, the narrator, are in the story. That is, whose point of view (POV) is the story told from?[1]

·        First Person POV – when you as narrator say “I” and “we” (it’s how we all speak in real life). It is a more personal viewpoint (and so used in memoirs, romance and young adult fiction), but can suffer from feeling a bit too introspective. “I was furious as I tore at the thick undergrowth with my cane. How dare she speak to me that way!”

·        Second Person POV – when you use “you”, the ‘unspoken ‘me’ talking to ‘you’. It’s rarely used in novels but is in games (“you come across a panel with hieroglyphics scrawled on it and a lever on either side. Which one will you pull?”) and non-fiction.

·        Third Person POV – using “she” “he” “they” and “it”.

o  Third Person Omniscient is when the narrator knows everything, the thoughts and feelings of all the characters (think “War and Peace” and epic fantasy books) and is less common today: “Neither Marsha nor Mohammed knew what was going to happen next, that the gunman was already watching them, determined to stop their plan. And that he would be successful.”

o  Third Person Limited is when the narrator only knows the thoughts of one person. Think of the ‘Harry Potter’ series, told from Harry’s perspective and with knowledge of his motivations, but not those of say, Ron and Hermione. “Natalie knew that she wanted to feel this way forever”. It’s also a common perspective in romance, thriller, epic fantasy and young adult fiction.

o  Third Person Multiple is like the ‘Limited’ but when the author switches the perspective between scenes or chapters. So, the story may be told from the POV of the murderer in one chapter, the victim in another and the detective in the third. Note that the narrator is still ‘impartial’ (the chapter is not in the ‘First Person POV’), it’s just that information is being given from another vantage point, but it can be awkward for the listener to follow such regular changes through the story. George RR Martin uses this technique in the ‘Game of Thrones’ series.

Usually, the narrator tells a story from (in order of popularity), the view of one of the Third Person perspectives, then First and Second POV.

It’s important to have a passing knowledge of this because it tells you how much insight you will have about what is going on in the story. For example, in ‘First Person’ you as the narrator, won’t know what someone else is thinking or their motivations. In ‘Third Person Limited’ you may only be able to offer the listener insight into one character’s thoughts and feelings.

Although a movie and not an audiobook, Morgan Freeman’s off-screen delivery in “The Shawshank Redemption” is a standout in the narrative style. He’s telling the story through his on-screen character, Red, and yet also describing events outside of Red’s knowledge. This, together with Freeman’s gentle yet authoritative tone, gives an omnipresent feel to the film.

[1] Adapted from: https://kindlepreneur.com/point-of-view/

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